Movement Speed

[Alduskkel]

Hi, I'm working with a large map, and I want the units to get around quickly. There are plenty of pre-placed roads, but that's about it. For the sake of context, the scenario involves a lot of war, too. The issue thus being that units often take a long time to get to the frontlines.

So, my question is, what's the best way to get the units to move quickly, from a gameplay standpoint?

1. Increase movement speed of all units.

Advantages: Simplest way. Works well with the roads.

Disadvantages: Potentially overpowered as units can get into position and strike down a city before any defense can be organized. Cavalry units are effectively nerfed because they no longer retreat. My proposed solution to that would be to give them the Blitz ability. If so, I would like to know how powerful the Blitz ability is compared to the Retreat ability.

2. Make key units treat all terrain as road.

Advantages: Allows these units to navigate quickly no matter where they are.

Disadvantages: Similar issue as above; even units with 1 movement speed can come out of the fog of war and take a city without warning.

3. Increase the speed of units on road (e.g. from 3 to 4).

Advantages: Units can still move quickly but lose the benefit once in enemy territory.

Disadvantages: Does not help units move quickly in areas without roads.

 

[Takhisis]

I'd suggest using land transports, but the AI can't handle them.

Phirst!

 

[timerover51]

If it is a pre-made map, as it sounds like it is with the pre-placed roads, then I would suggest railroads from the main area to cities near but not on the front lines.

 

[Alduskkel]

Err, I should probably have mentioned that I'm tinkering around with the Fall of Rome scenario in Conquests.

Railroads would be... amusing, if a bit out of place.

 

[Jorsalfare]

I'd suggest using land transports, but the AI can't handle them.

Actually, AI can be tricked into using land transport. I explained how to do it in this thread (post #25). I have made my land transports wheeled in order to reduce AI's disadvantage (AI uses land transports occasionally, but unsurprisingly - not nearly as cleverly as a human player would.)

 

[Civinator]

Actually, AI can be tricked into using land transport. I explained how to do it in this thread (post #25). I have made my land transports wheeled in order to reduce AI's disadvantage (AI uses land transports occasionally, but unsurprisingly - not nearly as cleverly as a human player would.)

Jorsalfare, that´s a major discovery you made. Unfortunately occasional use by the AI still is too less in my eyes as landtransports still seem to be a big human exploit against the AI (who is still poor enough against human players without such exploits).

Err, I should probably have mentioned that I'm tinkering around with the Fall of Rome scenario in Conquests.

Railroads would be... amusing, if a bit out of place.

Alduskkel, some of the -in my eyes- best scenarios of ancient Rome for Civ 3 (RFRE and SPQR) are using railroads without problems. These scenarios renamed railroads to "Imperial Roads".

You can also try a limited use of teleporters (in that case you need the Polish Hacked Editor for C3C).

Always be aware of the scale of time for your scenario when dealing with the movement of units. Military in the ancient world was mostly rather slow and don´t consider a 139 x139 map a "large map". It is a "tiny" map compared to many other maps beeing around here for Civ 3.

Good luck to your efforts.

 

[Alduskkel]

Alduskkel, some of the -in my eyes- best scenarios of ancient Rome for Civ 3 (RFRE and SPQR) are using railroads without problems. These scenarios renamed railroads to "Imperial Roads".

You can also try a limited use of teleporters (in that case you need the Polish Hacked Editor for C3C).

Hmm. I'll keep the railroad thing in mind. I'm honestly okay with the Romans having difficulty reinforcing (seems perfectly realistic to me), but it can be agonizing to watch the barbarians take 5-10 turns trudging through forests and such only to get picked apart once they approach Roman territory.

Teleportation definitely sounds very silly to me, though.

Always be aware of the scale of time for your scenario when dealing with the movement of units. Military in the ancient world was mostly rather slow and don´t consider a 139 x139 map a "large map". It is a "tiny" map compared to many other maps beeing around here for Civ 3.

Fair enough.

Good luck to your efforts.

Thanks! I'm afraid I'm mostly "refining" rather than "expanding" the Fall of Rome scenario, though. Which probably limits the number of people who will actually be interested in it.

 

[Civinator]

Teleportation definitely sounds very silly to me, though.

Teleportation can be very useful, especially when there is a need for limited quick reinforcement. Attached is a screenshot from one of my experimental settings for the WWII scenario SOE. Three preplaced unit teleporters based on units, so they have only a limited number of teleportions each turn, symbolize the possibilities of a quick reinforcement by the OKW-reserve. In that setting I changed the teleportion button (and in that screenshot the airtransport-symbol) so the location of these limited fast-movement transports can be spotted easily.

Additionally I determined for each terrain-tile of that map (255x191), if a road/railroad can been built on that tile. So railroad won´t be completely overpowered (and for reasons of introducing microzones for different unit-building), I broke the railways by terrain with no roads/railroads buildable on that terrain and placing a resource on that terrain that is looking like a railroad, so using the railroad doesnt give "infinite" movement as the unit on the railway spends sometimes some movement-points on the way to ist destination. With a little bit of creativity, all thses settings can be done in the ancient world, too.

Spoiler :

In the screenshot the teleporters have blue circles and the "railroad-stoppers" (I called them railway-knots, where the train has to stop), symbolized by German railway-signals of that time in "stop"-position, have red circles around them.

..but it can be agonizing to watch the barbarians take 5-10 turns trudging through forests and such only to get picked apart once they approach Roman territory.

Here the "all terrain as railroad"-setting for the barbarians could be really useful. Additionally you could consider to set the barbarians "invisible" and some watchtowers or special landunits to the option " detect invisble, to have a better effect. You can also set some (or all) barbarian units to ignore the movement penalties of some terrain (like forests), so p.e. MV2-units could really move two tiles even in such a terrain.

Another possibility for quick transportation in ancient times would be the "renamed) airlift-option.

 

[timerover51]

So give the Barbarians a faster movement rate of 2 and the "ignore movement cost" option for some terrain.

 

[Alduskkel]

You can also set some (or all) barbarian units to ignore the movement penalties of some terrain (like forests), so p.e. MV2-units could really move two tiles even in such a terrain.

So give the Barbarians a faster movement rate of 2 and the "ignore movement cost" option for some terrain.

I think this will be my preferred solution. I'd forgotten about the ignore movement cost ability. Thanks.